Judy Mowatt: From Rasta to disciple

Reggae gospel singer JUDY MOWATT talked to Mike Rimmer about her years with Bob Marley and the reggae superstar's deathbed conversion to Christianity.

I am sitting in the Hard Rock Café in Birmingham watching the big
screen which is showing a classic Bob Marley clip of "Jammin'" and
watching the distinctive figures of three magnificently dressed ladies
Marcia Griffiths, Judy
Mowatt and Rita Marley swaying gently to the music as they sing
backing vocals. I am transfixed because only days earlier I had
interviewed Judy
Mowatt and she was remembering this period of her life.

The trio had met working in the studio and their voices had
immediately blended into something special. Marley himself had
recruited them to be part of his backing band, The Wailers. Judy
remembered, "The first song we did was 'Jah Live' and Bob wanted us to
work with him on his 'Natty Dread' album. The I-Threes continued to
work with Marley until his death."

As you'd expect, Judy was totally engrossed in Rastafarianism, as she
explained, "I was a Rasta for 22 years and I was genuine. I embraced
the objectives of Rastafari, knowing that one of the aims and
objectives were to repatriate to the land of our ancestors. And also
to make music to let people be aware of who they are as a people and
knowing that the western hemisphere is only a place for them to pass
through, but we should return to our father's land. That was my plan,
but God had a different plan! After 22 years I became very
unfulfilled, dissatisfied; not by any one thing or by any one person
but I started to search inside because I realised that there was
something else that I needed that I could not put my hand on. I knew
that God was calling me into deeper waters. I was a little bit fearful
because I was wondering what my brothers and sisters would say and
what would be their reaction. So I was a bit fearful."

At the same time as her search, the singer's personal life was filled
with difficulty too where two family members were in serious
situations. She didn't go into detail but confessed, "I was at a place
where I thought I wanted to die but I never had the strength to take
my own life. I started praying and I said, 'God, I really don't know
you because if I knew you, then all of this would not have been
happening to me.' Not knowing that God had used that situation to draw
me to him. I started reading my Bible. I had read my Bible three times
from cover to cover and I started reading, but the things I was seeing
this fourth time were what I never saw in the three times I read my
Bible."

She continued, "I was seeing it through another pair of lenses. I
read, 'Wherein, there is no other name given among men whereby we must
be saved, but by the name of Jesus Christ.' That flew out of the Bible
and into my spirit and that really turned the key. Whenever you have a
mindset and you seriously believe something, you're not going to open
to anything else, and I wasn't open to anything else. But God opened
me to start seeking and searching."

It was listening to an interview with Haile Selassie which really
challenged Judy's thinking. She remembered, "The interviewer asked
him, 'Why is it that people say you are the returned Messiah?' and he
answered through an interpreter - 'I'm a mere man. I will be replaced
by the oncoming generation and a human being should not be emulated
for a deity.' Somebody gave me a book, an autobiography and selected
speeches of 'His Majesty' and I see where 'His Majesty' is a Christian
king! I recognise now that instead of worshipping him, I should be
worshipping who he is worshipping! So I see 'His Imperial Majesty' as
my teacher."

On stage at last year's Birmingham Gospel Festival, Mowatt was dressed
splendidly in white looking younger than her 52 years. She shared some
of her experiences, testified to the truth she's discovered and sang
songs from her excellent album 'Something Old, Something New'. The
crowd clearly loved it.

When she became a Christian in the mid-'90s amidst a wave of other
successful reggae artists finding Christian faith like Papa San,
Stitchie, Chevelle Franklin and Carlene Davis. After her performance,
I ask her what she thinks Marley would have made of her conversion. It
was here that she made my jaw drop!

She shared, "When Bob was on his dying bed, his wife Rita called me on
the phone and said to me that Bob was in such excruciating pain and he
stretched out his hand and said, 'Jesus take me.' I was wondering to
myself, 'Why is it that Bob said "Jesus" and not "Selassie"?' But I
never said it to anyone. Then I met a friend of mine and he said his
sister, who is a Christian, was a nurse at the hospital where Bob was
before he passed on, and she led him to the Lord Jesus Christ. So when
Rita saw him saying 'Jesus take me', he had already received the Lord
Jesus Christ in his life."

Judy said that sharing that, telling the truth about Marley's
conversion isn't popular in Jamaica. "People need to know, because
they would be drawn also to Jesus Christ. But nobody wants to promote
that and in Jamaica, I said it on a popular television programme and a
Rasta man met me and asked me why did I have to say that? I said,
'Because it's the truth!' But he never wanted me to reveal that and I
think that anybody doesn't want that to be revealed, because so many
people would be drawn to the Gospel."

Thinking back to the '70s explosion of reggae and its association with
Rastafarianism, is it possible that this latest wave of gospel reggae
artists might be part of another movement? Could the power of the
Spirit see another grassroots movement born and the music be part of
leading many to the real truth of Jesus? Judy shared her thoughts, "I
see another grassroots movement being born inside of the people of
God. Because I think what God did inside the birth of reggae message
was to uplift the people that were in degradation, the people who
suffered. I mean, the music was birthed out of suffering! Out of
Trench Town. It was inside of the pain and the agony that people
started singing about it. It is inside of the pain that people are
experiencing, where God has given us songs and he's using the Gospel
as a vehicle to go inside places where we probably would not be able
to go. But I see this as a continuation of what took place in the '70s
in Jamaica."

The opinions expressed in this article are
not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed
views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may
not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a
later date.

I have been a Rastafarian for 46 years I accepted our Lord
Jesus Christ a w long before I took on the Rastafarian way
of life and I just want to say that there is no conflict
with the two Haile Selassie was from the Solomonic dynasty
and fullfilled the covenant that God made with David he was
a truly spiritual King after Gods own heart in everything he
would refer to God and the Bible. Therefore the spirit of
Christ abide in him as does he in all believers but he was
not Jesus the Christ some will ovrstand for this is a
mystical revelation

Jesus Christ is the Lord and God and there is none other
than Him. May this truth be spread to all and my us all who
believe in Christ Jesus be the ones to stand up and tell the
world about this Good God. Sister Judy Mowatt your testimony
is so inspiring. Im happy that the Great Robert Marley died
a Christian Glory to Jesus

Quick Facts:
His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I was a devout disciple,
worshipper and follower of Jesus Christ. He encouraged all
who listen to him to do the same. In fact, while he was
alive, he even sent Bishops from the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church to minister to and speak the Truth of Jesus to Rastas
in Jamaica. A ministry was established by Haile Selassie in
Jamaica specifically to reach Rastas and turn them from
worshipping himself to worship of the One True God, Jesus
Christ.
There is extensive evidence to show this via audio
interviews with the late Ethiopian King Himself, which can
be found all over the internet.

Video and audio interviews of Bishop Abuna Yesehaq can be
found online containing his testimony of Bob Marley's
baptism into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Bobs immediate
family was baptised as well. This was in 1980, shortly
before Bobs death.

On a personal note, just read the Bible yourself and Jah
will show you Himself. Rastafari is Christianity. The
separation comes from the belief that Jesus Christ has
indeed returned in the flesh of His Imperial Majesty Haile
Selassie I. This is up for the spiritual seeker to decide.
God has given us enough evidence to make an informed opinion
about where the truth lies. I also think it is extremely
important to remember that God IS love. Rasta and Christian
(and many other God-worshippers) I'm sure can agree on this,
especially seeing that the Bible speaks very directly on
this matter. Remember that Jesus himself, before he was
killed, prayed to Our Father that we would all be ONE. That
we would be one with him as He is one with Our Father. That
we would all be one together. Paul also reminds us of this
and encourages us that we would be one with eath other as we
are all members one of another. We are ONE body with many
parts.
So don't be so quick to separate and divide for, if we were
all a hand, where would our sense of smell be? Or if we were
all a foot, where would our sense of hearing be?

This is from the Bible found in 1 John ch. 4: "Beloved, let
us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves
has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not
love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the
love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his
only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he
loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our
sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love
one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one
another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."

When you see HIM You see truth and rights. Whem you see a
rastaman you see the godhead. When u see JC you see white
supremacy and distortion. I choose the real GOD Jah
Rastafari. May God judge me ! King james wrote demon cult
books as well as th Bible. That old saying "The greatest
weapon in the hand of the oppresor is the mind of the
oppresed" ! And remember X-mas+easter=vantity Fell free to
worship who or what you want. And support the church and
accept GLT rights

I was happy, years ago, to discover this little-known fact
of Bob Marley's acceptance of Jesus. I have always loved his
uplifting music and the wisdom of his lyrics (with perhaps
the exception of some lines in 'Get Up, Stand Up). I saw
Judy at two performances in the 90's, and am very happy she
is a Christian artist now. Nobody sings the Gospel like
Judy! Such a beautiful, powerful voice the Lord gave her to
glorify Him...

I am from Nz I am 43 years old and from the time i met my
husband and had children, we immersed ourselves in all
things that were good, We took out the Good and loving
things from Rasta and also our Maori Culture. We both
believe in the Bible and Reggae has been our life, singing
and playing in reggae bands all throughout nz and still are
today, singing roots music. Because we are free to choose
we do not to smoke Marijuana. Our children sing and play
all instruments and they also believe in jah God and jesus.
I am a fan of Judy's music i even watched her at a concert
in Gisborne Nz - a very special lady ...........

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